Hello everybody. I love debating ideas. The most different my oponent's worldview is to mine, the better the debate. Many people inmediately think that anybody wanting to debate in the internet is just a troll wanting to have fun. Not my case at all.

My problem is that most pages are 1 of the following:

1) Theist Webpage: If you criticize their ideas you get banned inmediately. For instance, christianforums.com

2) Atheist Webgage: Free Speech, Nice people, No bans for thinking differently. An example of that environment is this forum. However, no theists here so no debates (with few exceptions of course).

I hope this is a false dichotomy. If anyone knew a page where different point of views meet while at the same time free speech is allowed, I would be very glad to go there.

Why not try something with the word 'rational' or 'skeptic' in it? I'd assume that not being explicitly atheistic, such places would have all sorts of folk (not many fundies, I'm guessing, but debating a fundie is about as pleasant and productive as banging your head against a wall anyway).

This being said, for most people a debate is not about exchanging ideas but about hearing themselves speak and/or trying to persuade the other person he/she is wrong (or, as in the case of some of our beloved residents, trying to quell their own deep-seated doubts). Esp. religionists. I sometimes wonder why some of us even bother talking to others at all, but that's neither here nor there

Your observations are absolutely correct. Theist websites will not debate: They are unable to defend their position against atheists, so they will ban you immediately. Atheists sites have very few theists, and the theists that are there often won't debate--their defective in some way and want atheists to be their friends. I suppose they think they're going to save them.

This forum has me. That's the only way I know how to put it, but I'm not a traditional Christian. I'm great for arguing the existence of God and the importance of Jesus Christ, but I will not defend the Old Testament or the Christian Church, or any of the New Testament except for the Gospels.

I might as well announce it now: I'm starting a web forum of my own. I'm building it up as we speak. I figure around the fifteenth, I'll be ready to announce it. It's a writer's group, but it has two other categories: Religious Debate, and Political Debate. I will actively recruit theist warriors--but I'd be surprised if they come.
I couch it all in a writer's forum because most people who debate are also writers, or will-be writers.

I have a long history with online debate. The Thinking Atheist is by far the best site I've ever been in, and in fact, I model the way I will run my forum off of what I've experienced here. I respect this forum enough that I will continue to post here, and I will not post here what I post there.

You're not going to have a lot of luck finding traditional Christians to debate. Ultimately, they have their faith, and like atheists, they will back up to it and simply say they don't know (Atheists will say science will one day figure it out. Christians will say God works in ways we don't understand.).

Also, debating traditional Christians gets a bit boring. Their position is not defensible, so you beat up on them, but it stops being a challenge very quickly. Same can be said about atheists: they cannot defend their position, so arguing with them gets very boring very quickly.

Theist: God exists.

Atheists: You don't have any evidence.

Theist: The existence of the universe.

Atheist: That's not evidence; show me evidence.

Theist: What else is there to show?

The atheist, of course, wants tricks that are repeatable in a laboratory. You try telling them a repeated miracle is no longer a miracle but simply a strange phenomenon, like dark matter, but still that's what they want to see. It won't convince them God exists--why would it? You try telling them that. But that's what they want--a magic show. They are simpletons, just like the religious.

Truth is: I'm your best bet for debate. I mean look at my posts. I post, and I get 2000 views and 200 replies in a couple of days. The hardest thing for you will be getting my attention.

(27-12-2012 12:54 PM)Egor Wrote: You're not going to have a lot of luck finding traditional Christians to debate. Ultimately, they have their faith, and like atheists, they will back up to it and simply say they don't know (Atheists will say science will one day figure it out. Christians will say God works in ways we don't understand.).

Also, debating traditional Christians gets a bit boring. Their position is not defensible, so you beat up on them, but it stops being a challenge very quickly. Same can be said about atheists: they cannot defend their position, so arguing with them gets very boring very quickly.

You're largely generalizing here.

(27-12-2012 12:54 PM)Egor Wrote: Truth is: I'm your best bet for debate. I mean look at my posts. I post, and I get 2000 views and 200 replies in a couple of days. The hardest thing for you will be getting my attention.

The "best bet"? Have you read the definition of "Arrogant"?
What you just said reflected that exact definition.

So far as I have seen, the reason you're getting so many views and replies isn't because you're the best bet for a debate. You seem to cause more confusion and nonsense than actually making progress.

You're "Christian views" are extremely self-made and outlandish.
Your arguments are not very convincing at all.
I haven't read all your posts, but your last posts seem to indicate that you appeal to emotion and spirituality than actually going through facts and research.

Also you're so unstable with your beliefs. I've seen you go from religious to Atheist and back to religious again.

No.

“What you believe to be true will control you, whether it’s true or not.”

(27-12-2012 11:34 AM)GodlessnFree Wrote: Hello everybody. I love debating ideas. The most different my oponent's worldview is to mine, the better the debate. Many people inmediately think that anybody wanting to debate in the internet is just a troll wanting to have fun. Not my case at all.

My problem is that most pages are 1 of the following:

1) Theist Webpage: If you criticize their ideas you get banned inmediately. For instance, christianforums.com

2) Atheist Webgage: Free Speech, Nice people, No bans for thinking differently. An example of that environment is this forum. However, no theists here so no debates (with few exceptions of course).

I hope this is a false dichotomy. If anyone knew a page where different point of views meet while at the same time free speech is allowed, I would be very glad to go there.

(27-12-2012 12:54 PM)Egor Wrote: Atheists sites have very few theists, and the theists that are there often won't debate--their defective in some way and want atheists to be their friends. I suppose they think they're going to save them.

From what I have seen this is not about theists being friendly to save people, but about some of us having the courtesy to not shove our religion into other people´s face all the time... And the courtesy to not be arrogant about it when we do!

Typical christian haha. That's like saying that elves create trees so the evidence for elves is that trees exist. I hope there were more guys like you to debate here . I guess the name of the forum keeps them away.